~ "Art is not what you see… but what you make others see" Edgar Degas

Tag Archives: Art

Purple; a deep rich shade between Crimson and Violet is a Femme Fatale.

Purple is feminine; a Lady in Lavender, a Maiden in Mauve, a Madam attired in rich Plum, a Vixen in Violet, and sometimes a ‘Shrinking’ Violet. If Purple were a person, she would be female and not always a lady. The beautiful, but murderous orchid (also a term for pale purple) has beautiful flowers, but is a parasite and eventually kills her host.

“Do you know that it is very, very necessary for honest people to remain in art? Hardly anyone knows that the secret of beautiful work lies to a great extent in truth and heartfelt sentiment” Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother Theo.

Reaching Out through Art

The artist does have a purpose with his art, but his focus is not always the achievement of an aesthetically pleasing image.

Sometimes creating art is the best, if not the only way an artist can communicate his message; it is his chosen language.

We are social creatures, and I don’t know any artists who keep their art hidden away from the eyes of others. Except perhaps the proverbial, slightly mad and reclusive artist who lives on the fringes of society. Art has to be seen to be appreciated; I am not referring to the piles of unfinished canvases that some of us might have stashed away, meaning to complete in the fullness of time.Their day in the spotlight is yet to come.

Making connections

A baby’s piercing cry is intended to cause distress; it is impossible to ignore, and it usually prompts swift action. That is how we make our first connection with others.By adulthood, most of us have perfected a way of communication that satisfies our individual needs.

Talking, Singing, Dancing and Writing

There are The Speakers among us who eloquently communicate. These articulate masters can express their every opinion and emotion with ease. Some fuel wars with propaganda spread by the spoken word. Speakers, often the leaders in our society, can hold audiences captive and spellbound with their voices alone.The spoken word is powerful Sometimes though silence is golden.

Performing Artists such as actors and singers make connections in this way too. Musicians reach others with their instruments and music. Music crosses the language barrier.

Writers capture our attention, the written word – black on white, is hard to ignore.Historians connect generations past, present and future with the written word.Empty is the world of the illiterate.

Writers of fiction have the ability to introduce us to new worlds, even new dimensions.In the absence of illustration, the reader is left with a mind imprint that lingers because he has been forced to use his imagination.A Writer can give his creations whatever characteristics he chooses, even immortality. He can give them wings and let them fly if he wants to. Writers understand the enormous power of the imagination

The Language of Art

A Painter speaks through his art with his paint and brushes.Every time you look at a painting you should ask yourself what the underlying message is.

There always is one.

The message can be quite subtle. With this painting of sunlight reflected on a vase of colourful flowers, the artist is perhaps encouraging a smile and urging you to enjoy and appreciate the simple beauty of the ordinary. Light and colour lift a somber mood.

As a painter, I understand that it is sometimes difficult for an artist to get across the right message.

Individuals interpret images differently.I experience subdued almost melancholic feelings of peace and serenity when I look at a painting of a beautiful sunset; you might have an entirely different experience.

The painter’s intention might be to shock the viewer with images or symbols of violence and war. Perhaps there is a warning or a plea for peace in his work.

Fear of the future and teenage angst in art is easy to interpret.Young artists have fewer inhibitions and are usually quite expert at getting their message across.

The old saying ‘Seeing is believing’ rings true from a painter’s perspective. To ‘see for oneself’ is an enriching experience. A blank canvas gives the artist permission to paint on it whatever he wishes to. He can reach deep into his imagination and make the impossible possible. Magic.

A painter can paint can copy nature realistically or warp reality, and he can twist the truth when the truth stripped bare is too confronting.

Why?

I accept that art does not always have to be traditional, but the trend seems to be that the more shocking a painting is, the better it is.

Some artists will do anything to have their minute of fame. I question the validity of art that emphasises the vulgar, the grotesque and the shocking. Perhaps there is the necessity to juxtapose good and bad to gain a full understanding of their meaning.Also, if you’ve come face to face with the monster or painted him (it), looked him in the eye and walked away, you have conquered.

Each to his own I guess.

I believe that there are things about humankind that are better left unsaid.Our world could be a much better place if we all strove to build on the positive rather than on the negative.

As an artist, do you approach your work with sincerity?Has your art become meaningless? Perhaps you have become a lofty art-academic who has been taught how to ‘make’ something ‘look like’ something else?

Stifling the free spirit with technical trivia

Perhaps you have been tutored (by the finest) on the art of ’portraiture ’and with more than a reasonable resemblance to the sitter can replicate his physical image on canvas. You might have learned how to paint the perfect landscape using all the tried and tested techniques and formulae of composition, colour and tone, but I don’t see any risk element of excitement there. Painting can become so dreary, you may even wonder why bother at all?

With a bit of caution, you might have tried your hand at a bit of abstraction.But can you answer the question as to what measure of the real you, you allow into your paintings?

It has taken millennia for us to evolve into the intelligent, socially aware and civilized beings we like to think of as ourselves today. But perhaps some of our primal urges have been left intact, and I am not referring to our core instincts that enable us to keep Homo Sapiens on the map like eating and breathing.

There seems to be an urge deep within us to leave something, visual or tangible in our wake for others to see. Is it akin to the territorial instinct of our dearest canine friend that necessitates him to leave his mark on a lamppost? Do we also have a need to leave a mark not only to claim territory but as an exclamation of a rule and maybe superiority? Or is it to validate our existence?Speaking for myself, I am quite content to confine my mark making to the canvas.

You arrive at an art gallery feeling quite excited about the delights that await. It might be the opening night of a long-awaited exhibition featuring an acclaimed artist or the body of work of an emerging artist, that has been the lure.

But inside you find it hard to hide your disappointment, you were expecting something entirely different.

Often in conversation I have heard it said ” ‘So and so’ is a ‘Real Artist.’ ”

Who is he? Art is woven into the fabric of all our lives.

Arranging a bunch of flowers, deciding which tie or pair of shoes will complete the outfit is about being an artist.

We all have a need to belong and to be accepted by our contemporaries. We want to be embraced for our individuality. Our differences are what make us unique and we love it when others find us interesting. We go about our daily lives being artists.

It is a question often asked in conversation, sparking a lively debate on the glorious and fuzzy subject about the definition of art. Everyone has an opinion.

Art and psychology and as a form of therapy.

Sigmund Freud theorised that the artist has an unfulfilled longing for honour, power, riches, fame or sex; he turns away from the harsh reality and transfers his feelings to a creation of fantasy.All this may be true, but can the artist not only paint and create because it gives him pleasure?

A few terms I sweated struggled and strove to better my artist skills at the hands of Brian Simmonds, an admired Perth-based artist. By successfully managing to capture the essence of Perth, Fremantle and the West Australian landscape in his paintings he stands out as an artist. His paintings, both in oils and pastels are sought after and in demand. Brian has a devout following; I know quite a few artists who strive to emulate his style. His style of painting is traditional and a bit old-fashioned, but he does add something magical into the mix. There is always a feeling of ‘freshness’ about a Brian Simmonds’ painting and the mix of colours on his palette is true to the Australian landscape.

Is it only me? Or have others noticed how an artist can undergo a complete personality change in an instant like Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde especially when it comes to sharing gallery space for a group exhibition! Competition is good, and it is necessary not only for art to be sustained but also for it to grow and to evolve.

It is to the artists who were brave enough to charter new territories, break the rules and challenge the ideals of society that honour has been bestowed on over the centuries, sadly posthumously for the majority.